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No. 6|9,64|. Patented Feb. I4, I899. I S. M. VAUCLAIN & G. R. HENDERSON.

REDUCING VALVE.

(Application filed May 5, 1898.

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Patented Feb. |4 I899. 8.1. VAUCLAIN &. G. B. HENDERSON.

REDUCING VALVE. (Application filed May 5, 1898.

(No Model.)

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No. 6l9,64|. I Patented Feb. 14, I899. 8. M. VAUCLAIN G. G. Fl. HENDERSON.

REDUCING VALVE. (Application flled llay a, 1898.

(No' Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE,

SAMUEL M. VAUCLAIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGE R. HENDERSON, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

REDUCING-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,641, dated February 14, 1899.

Application filed May 5, 1898. Serial No. 679,858. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL M.VAUOLAIN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and GEORGE R. HENDERSON, of Roanoke, Virginia, citizens of the United States, have invented certain Improvements in Reducing-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in reducing-valves for compound engines, particularly of the locomotive type; and the invention is based upon the patent granted to Samuel M. Vauclain, No. 499,065, dated June 6, 1893.

The object of our invention is to improve the construction of the reducing-valve and provide means whereby the engine is allowed to pass from compounding to simple operation, or vice versa, immediately on operating the engineers valve at the cab.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view through our improved red ucing-valve. Fig. 2 is a view through a portion of a locomotive-cylinder casing, showing the relation of the reducing-valve to the intercepting-valve; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a locomotive embodying our invention.

In the present instance the reducing-valve is mounted in the cylinder structure S of a compound locomotive-engine, and the structure has a steam-chamber B, communicating with the boiler T, a receiving-chamber 0, communicating with the high and low pressure cylinders S S and this chamber is separated from the chamber B by a partition 17.

A is the reducing-valve casing, having a portion A, which extends to the partition Z), forming the division between the chamberB and the receiver 0. The portion A has ports a, which communicate with the receiver 0, and these ports are opened and closed by the reducing-valve D. This valve D is adapted to reciprocate in the valve-casing and has a head D at its rear end working within a cham ber A of the casing A.

The valve D is hollow in the present instance, and extending from the valve-casing is a fixed spindle a, having a head M, between which and a cap 01 on the valve is a spring F, which tends to keep the valve in the position indicated in the drawings, so that the steam-chamber B will communicate with the receiver 0. When the valve is in this position, both cylinders are running highpressure. lVhen, however, the valve closes the ports a and the intercepting-valve M is shifted, then the engine will run compoundin g, the low-pressure cylinder receiving steam from the high pressure cylinder and not through the reducing-valve.

The valve D is controlled by an engineers valve I at the cab of the locomotive. This valve communicates with the chamber A through passages c e and check-valve chamber e. In the chamber e is a check-valve E, closing against pressure from the chamber A The receiver 0 communicates with the passage (2 through passages c c and piston-valve chamber 0. In this chamberis apiston checkvalve G of the form shown in Fig. 1. The upper portion of the chamber 0 above the valve G communicates with the passage e, leading from the engineers valve through passages f, f, and f although a single passage may be used; but we prefer the arrangement shown, as it enables us to readily drill the passages in the casing A. When steam is admitted to the receiver and the valve in the cab is closed, the steam entering through the passages 0, c and 6 will close a checkvalve E in the passage from the cab to the chamber a and tend to keep this valve closed.

It will be noticed that the area of the up-' per portion of the piston-valve G is much greater than the area of the lower portion of the valve exposed to the pressure of steam from the engineers valve when open, causing the valve G to close against pressure from the receiver 0. The pressure will also cause the reducing-valve D to close the ports a, so that the engine will run compounding; but if the engineers valve is open to the atmosphere then the valve G rises immediately by the action of the steam under pressure in the chamber 0 below the valve and in the pas- F, thus permitting steam to flow from chamber B into receiver 0 until the proper pres sure is obtained when the Valve will regulate the receiver-pressure, the check-valve E remaining closed and the valve G remaining open. In case there is no pressure in the passages c e and chamber 0 the spring F will in any event force back the valve D. Air compressed in chambers A and c and passages e c by this action raising the valve G, thus opening the receiver 0 to the steamchamber 13.

c is a screw-cap for the chamber a, so that access may be had to the valve G, and g is a screw-cap for the chamber e, containing the check-valve E, and above this cap is another screw-cap g, of larger diameter, which forms the passage or chamber f, communicating with the passage 6 and the chamber a.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination with a compound engine having a steam-chamber connected to the boiler and a receiving-chamber between the high and low pressure cylinders, of a reducing-valve for compound engines, a valvecasing having three chambers, a reducingvalve in the main chamber adapted to close the ports leading from the boiler to the lowpressure cylinder, a piston-valve in one of the other chambers controlling the passage of steam from the receiver to the main-valve chamber back of the valve, an engineers valve, a check-valve in the other chamber controlling the passage of steam from the engineers valve to the main-valve chamber back of the valve,the passages being so formed that when steam is admitted from the engineers valve it will tend to open the checkvalve and close the piston-valve that controls the passage leading from the receiver and vice versa when the steam is released, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a compound engine having a steam-chamber connected to the boiler, and a receiving-chamber between the high and low pressure cylinders, of a reducingvalve for compound engines, the easing A having an extension A, a valve D adapted thereto, an engineers valve, passage-forming communication between the engineers valve and the back of the main-valve chamher, a check-valve E in said passage, a piston-valve G, a passage communicating with the upper portion of the piston-valve and the passage leading to the engineers valve, a passage leading from the receiver to a point back of the main valve, said valve G controlling the flow of fluid through its passage, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a compound engine having a steam-chamber connected to the boiler, and a receiving-chamber between the high and low pressure cylinders, of a reducing-valve for compound engines, a reducing-valve, an engineers valve, passages leading from the reducing-valve to the receiver and to the engineers valve, with a pistonvalve adapted to control the flow of fluid from the receiver to the reducing-valve chamber, the area of the upper portion of the said valve being greater than the lower portion so that the valve will close the passage from the receiver during the time that steam under pressure is holding the reducing-valve closed, but allowing the pressure in the valve-chamher and passages under the valve to open it, when the steam-pressure over the valve is released, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL M. VAUCLAIN. GEORGE R. HENDERSON.

Witnesses to the signature of Samuel M. Vauclain:

J AS. H. M. HAYES, FRED WOOLLUEN. \Vitnesses to the signature of George R. Henderson:

R. H. PERSINGER, T. E. GRALM. 

